Which childminder would you choose?

[Appleby12]

Which childminder would you choose out of these two:

childminder A

• pros: open plan spacious house with a garden, childminder seems really warm and nice, takes kids to playgroups every day, does lots of messy play activities, a bit more convenient to get to, cheaper and accepts funded hours, does lunch and dinner
• cons: she has a dog (I think it’s good for child to get used to animals, DH doesn’t like the dog hair), she will be looking after 3 kids under the age of 3 (possibility there might be 4 kids for a period of time)

childminder B

• pros: she only takes 2 kids (and tries to keep them similar ages), she seems more ‘professional’ in that she has written policies and procedures and showed us a lever arch file of information at the interview
• cons: she seems less flexible than childminder A, less convenient to get to but not awful, only goes to one playgroup a week, lives in a flat with no garden (but has a park v close), her house is more nicely decorated and well kept than childminder A which is great in a way but it also didn’t feel like somewhere kids had the freedom to be kids or do lots of messy play, she also seems nice but a bit less warm than A, more expensive and doesn’t accept government hours, only does lunch (no dinner).

DH really likes the idea of B because she only takes two kids. My gut feeling is A, but I don’t know if I’m being silly to pass up a childminder that only takes on 2 kids.

what does everyone think?

Childminder A for sure. I think it’s better for the child to be around more than one or two others. All the other pros too. As soon as I started reading B I thought ‘nope, definitely A’

A in a heart beat .

i was a childminder for 10 years , great paperwork doesn’t make a great childminder .

Definitely A!

Always follow your gut feeling. Go with A.

They both sound good but the deciding factor for me would be the 1-2 care as opposed to 1-4 or more if she has no limit clearly set out. Also an unknown dog around my child would make me anxious.

I'd definitely go with B

How long has childminder A been a childminder? Also how old is the dog and what has its exposure been to young children, and for how long?

A sounds nicer, except it depends on if childminder A has any helpers as the number of children is quite young around a dog. In the event something odd happens with the dogs behaviour, how would that be managed?

Good point about the dog and safety. A has been a childminder for over 15 years and the dog is pretty old so must be used to kids by now! I will try and speak with recent references though so will ask if the dog has ever been an issue.

A has no helpers. Is that a concern if she has 3 under 3? Me and DH can’t understand how anyone manages that, but she doesn’t seem fazed by it at all!

Both childminders should have written policies and procedures. It's a requirement. Perhaps childminder A just didn't show you, although it would be odd not to.

Usually any contract you sign will refer to policies and procedures which also set out things like fees, holidays, permissions for going out etc.

Not taking funding could be an absolute pain. You'll either end of having to change childminder when you are eligible for funding, or paying out more fees than you should have to.

3 under 3 is absolutely fine and normal for a childminder. A good childminder wouldn't even blink at that number and would potentially have some older children after school too.

With regard to the dog. That might be nice for the children but I'd want to spend some time with the dog first to check how it behaves. As she's been minding a while with the dog, then I expect the dog is very used to small children.

I'm leaning towards A, but obviously the dog would be an issue. My childminder has dogs, but they are kept separate from the children and I declined my consent for them to have any interaction with my child. I don't dislike dogs in general, but I don't know THESE dogs and they each easily outweigh my child.

Definitely A. You can discuss the dog aspect with them just to see what their plan is around the children and the dog but seems to have many more positives that will be beneficial for your child and sounds lovely.

out of those two - if no other choice - A.

I would pick A over B, but ultimately wouldn't pick either of them as the dog would be a dealbreaker. If you can get over the dog thing, A is the clear better option. The only pros for B are things that all childminders should do (paperwork, policies) or negatives to keep (only one other child).

I think having access to a garden is really important, especially in the summer. I also wouldn't be happy with only one other child and no daily playgroups. Part of the benefits of childcare for me is the chance for my DC to broaden their horizons and meet/socialise with new people. Even if studies claim it isn't important before 3, that's not been my experience with my son.

A

Definitely A

Three under 3’s including 1 under one us normal - there can be exceptions to this .

I also feel I missed in my post c/ minder A will also have policies and procedures just maybe not in a fancy folder.

3 does work - you get to know your children very quickly how to work around the issue’s .

you do activities that work with different ages so they all can achieve something .

Childminder A sounds much better with better space including garden and regular playgroups but I would want to know more about the dog first. Childminders seems to cope well with 3 kids, 4 on occasion in my experience of using three childminders, they are professionals. You child gets one to one attention at home, I would want them mixing with more kids including different ages and larger groups at childcare.